Sangre de Cristo Range - Colorado

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Craig

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This year’s trip to Colorado would include an itinerary of 10 – 14ers over 13 days in the Sangre de Cristo range. With the fantastic weather and a little luck I was able to tick 12 peaks off the list for a total of 30/54 complete.
I'll try to hit some of the highlights of the exciting climbing, spectacular views, abundant wildlife and dramatic landscape of this, my favorite range so far.

But first, for some acclimation.

Front Range:

The Front Range extends from Wyoming to the Arkansas River valley. It is the first range you see when flying into Denver rising abruptly from the valley.
This range contains 6 – 14ers of which I'd climbed 4* from previous visits.

Pikes Peak – 14,110'

The day after flying into Denver I hiked Pikes Peak. This was more of a acclimatization hike than anything.
Pikes Peak is like Mt Washington in the since that there is a toll road to the summit, a railroad to the summit, a gift shop on top and lots of crowds. On a clear day the views are still spectacular from this 14er.

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Sangre de Cristo Range:

The Sangres, located in the south eastern part of the state are 220 miles long, start south of Salida and run to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Sangres contain 10 - 14ers of which 9 would be my objective for this trip.
The 10 - 14ers are clustered into 3 groups, Crestone Group, Blanca Group and solitary Culebra Peak. Culebra Peak was not on the itinerary as this peak is on private property and the owners are charging a fee to climb it at this time.
Sangre de Cristo means “blood of Christ” in Spanish after the red rock that is so pronounce in this range.

Mt. Lindsey – 14.042'

What a beautiful area and fun peak to climb. The access road to the trail head meanders through a valley that is part of the Huerfano Wildlife Area. Deer appeared to be the abundant wildlife in this area but with the open meadows and luscious alpine environment, I'm sure there are many more animals to be found.
I opted for the class 3 Northwest Ridge to climb. This was a sweet scramble to the top with a couple of class 4 sections along the way. The views over to the Blanca Group heighten the anticipation of future climbs.
On the descent I took a small side trip to an abandoned mine to check it out. I only ventured in about 20’ before I got scared.

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Little Bear Peak, Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Point – Group

This was to be the highlight of my trip and it didn't disappoint.
This group of 3 peaks sets 5 miles into the Sangres. The trail head is one of the lowest of all the 14ers at 8900' and it overlooks the San Luis Valley. The road from the trailhead to Como Lake is nationally known as Colorado's toughest road and is passable on foot or by modified 4X4 only. On my trip in/out of Como Lake I did see a rock crawler ferrying loads to the alpine lakes for a research group from Ohio.
The plan was to pack in to the plateau above Como Lake, set up camp, hike the 3 peaks the 2nd day and pack out the 3rd day. This 3 peak foray included the infamous Little Bear – Blanca ridge traverse, noted as the toughest of the 4 great 14er ridge traverses.
As it turned out the weather was fantastic, the wildlife abundant and I had a pristine alpine environment all to myself.

Little Bear Peak – 14,037'

The route I chose for Little Bear was the non-standard semi-solid class 4 Northwest Face. The standard route takes you up a shallow class 3 gully that was wet on this morning. I improvised by climbing the slight ridge to the right of this gully to the Little Bear/Blanca ridge. This modified route was 2180’ of class 4 climbing with 3 class 5 moves.
Once on the ridge I needed to ascend/descend one of the cruxes of the traverse, Little Bear Summit.

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Blanca Peak – 14,345'

The ridge traverse to Blanca is 1 mile of class 4/5 climbing with no bailout. Once you've committed to this double exposure traverse you’ve committed to between 2 and 6 hours of class 4/5 climbing. It took me 3.5 hours to complete the 1 mile traverse peak to peak. I remember about half way through thinking, I don't want to be on this ridge anymore. I think after 4 hours on class 4/5 terrain the concentration required, started taking a toll on my psyche.
There were 2 double exposure knife edges along the way. The second is called the cat walk. This was truly a terrifying 30' span. Butt hopping across this 1' wide ridge required complete concentration as gravity viciously tugged at both of my feet.
This traverse was truly mind numbing.

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Ellingwood Point – 14,042'

By the time I reached the summit of Blanca I was emotionally spent. Taking a break I contemplated my route to Ellingwood. The cleanest path to would require another ridge traverse that was horribly exposed on 1 side. I tried to stay at least 6 feet from the ridge crest, but several sections required a closer line to the abyss. When I reach Ellingwood’s summit I retreated under a slight overhang as a respite from the sun’s rays.
Looking back at the Little Bear/Blanca ridge you can see the horrendous chimney that needed to bypassed.
Descending Ellingwood and walking back to camp gave me the opportunity to explore the pristine alpine setting I was camped in. I really hated leaving this area.


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* Not including Longs Peak which I turned back 600’ from the summit due to AMS

Continued:
 
Part 2

Sangre de Cristo Range - continued:

Challenger Point, Kit Carson Peak – Group

What a fantastic area.
The 7 mile ascend route is a wonderfully groomed, switchbacked trail that takes you through valleys, around cliffs and by great alpine lakes with gorgeous waterfalls. I believe most folks pack into Willow Lake and hike these 2 fine peaks from camp. I chose to climb them both from the trailhead making for a long day. In retrospect, given the time, I would recommend camping at Willow Lake and exploring this area. It is a truly gorgeous pristine alpine area.

Challenger Point – 14,081'

Above Willow Lake you ascend a steep climbers trail to gain Challenger's ridge. Once on the ridge you have to traverse 4 - 40 degree gullies to obtain the summit.
Challenger Point was renamed in 1986 after the Challenger Disaster.

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Kit Carson Peak – 14,165'

Although Kit Carson is only 400 yds from Challenger Peak, the trail circumnavigates Kit Carson’s summit before ascending sharply on its east flank. The trail around Kit Carson’s summit is fascinating in that it appears to have been cut from the side of the mountain in a gold miner’s attempt to access to the mother load atop this magnificent mountain.

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Humboldt Peak, Cresone Peak, Needle Peak – Group

This group of 3 peaks is also sets 5 miles into the Sangres. The access road to the upper parking area is 5 miles of bone jarring nightmare, accessible by foot or high clearance 4X4's. I decided to see if my rented Isuzu forester could cut the mustard on this punishing road. 1 hour after starting I was sharing a parking area with the likes of jacked up Jeeps and pickup trucks. My little Isuzu, nestled amongst these boys, looked like the 90 lb weakling in a gym full of Olympic body builders. However, the successful drive to the upper parking lot saved me another 3-4 day backpack trip up to South Colony Lakes.
The most anticipated section of this 3 peak group was the Crestone/Needle traverse which is one of the 4 great 14er traverses. For that reason, Humboldt is usually done as a separate foray.
My plan was to climb Humboldt Peak, assess the weather and decide whether to continue with the traverse or wait another day.

Humboldt Peak – 14,064'

The hike from the upper parking lot to the South Colony lakes took about an hour in the fresh, starlit morning sky. The area around the lakes is a favorite camping destination for hikers and rock climbers. The East Face of the Crestone group is a popular rock climbing destination.
The South Colony alpine lakes, even with its camping popularity, appeared to be a well maintained environment free from garbage and waste.
The hike up Humboldt is a class 2 meandering climb with great views of the basin. I arrived on the summit about 10am to find the Goathikers already set up for 14er – radio day. Steve (the alpha goat) is a retired guy that hikes around with John and their 2 goats. They were chatting it up with other hammers in CO and around the country.
Anyway, there weren’t nearly a cloud in the sky so I decided to go for the traverse.

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Crestone Peak – 14,294'

The approach to Crestone Peak is up the connecting Humboldt/Crestone ridge to the Bears Playground. From there you circumnavigate the mountain until your reach the main gully. Ascending this difficult class 4 gully takes you right to the top for some fantastic views.

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Needle Peak – 14,197'

Needle Peak is one of the more difficult 14ers on the list. Its name hints at what is in store for those climbing to its summit. There is a fair amount of exposure along its north and south flanks. On the north - south traverse of its summit the final crux is a class 4+ pitch that is terrifying. It’s about 60’ of horribly exposed near vertical climbing. Roach describes this final pitch in his book as “Beautifully airy”. :rolleyes:
Descending the south side ridge of the Needle requires sustained class 4 downclimbing.
This traverse was not only exhausting but definitely required an abundance of testicular fortitude to complete.
This was a longer than expected day at 12 hours from car to car.

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Sawatch Range:

This range contains 15 – 14ers of which I'd climbed 8 from previous visits.
As I had already completed my objective for this trip, these 2 peaks would be extra credit.

Mt Shavano, Tabeguache Peak – Group

This group of 2 peaks is usually done together. Once you have summited Shavano, Tabeguache is just a chip shot away.
The area around the trailhead appears to be a grazing area for the local livestock. I needed to herd cows down the trail on the descent.

Mount Shavano – 14,229'

The trailhead to Mt Shavano is at the end of a county road at 9700’. The trail doesn’t waste any time gaining elevation as it acquires the ridge leading up to the saddle.
I found a guy napping on the summit in the warm morning sunshine.
Can't see how he could nap with views like this all around.

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Tabeguache Peak – 14,155'

Tabeguache Peak is accessed from Shavano by their connecting ridge. When leaving Tabeguache you can avoid re-climbing Shavano by traversing it’s north flank.

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Wonderful post and photos, Craig; many thanks! I just got back from Colorado where I got up six of the easier 14ers to bring my total to 13. The Collegiates and Sangres are next on my list, although I did climb a couple of 13ers in the Sangres a few years ago with my brother who is working on the CO 200 highest. My brother thinks that the access roads are getting tougher each year through lack of maintenance, hence high-clearance 4WD are becoming more and more useful.
 
Did you do Pike's from Crag's Camp or via the Barr? The Barr trail would be a heck of an "acclimatization" hike!

Fantastic trip. I discovered this summer (again) that I acclimatize very poorly, so I had to settle for the DeCaLiBron and then generally bum around. If you haven't been to the sand dunes yet, I highly recommend them next time you're on the west side of the Sangres.
 
Did you do Pike's from Crag's Camp or via the Barr? The Barr trail would be a heck of an "acclimatization" hike!

Fantastic trip. I discovered this summer (again) that I acclimatize very poorly, so I had to settle for the DeCaLiBron and then generally bum around. If you haven't been to the sand dunes yet, I highly recommend them next time you're on the west side of the Sangres.

I went in from Crag's Campground.

For me, if I can get one night above 10K than I can function fairly well the next day. If I can get 2 nights above 10K I'm usually good to go.
On Longs Peak this 4th of July, I flew into Denver on Saturday, slept in Estes at about 7500', hiked Longs on Sunday and flew out on Monday.
I didn't acclimatize and paid for it all the way up through the keyhole. The home stretch was still snow covered and required crampons and axe (which I had) but I knew if I stepped out on that snow slope, I'd surely stumble and tumble down it's length. Kinda sucks I have to go back and get that one.

I wanted to check out the Dunes while I was there but didn't seem to have the time. I'll have to go back to do Culebra Peak so I'll drive into the Dunes then. :)
 
These pictures look awfully familiar. ;)

Nice trip report. The Sangres are really spectacular.
I really liked Lake Como. I had to go there twice. I had planned a 3 day backpack like you but got turned back by weather for Blanca/Ellingwood Point. So when I went back, a few days later, I didn't want to bake in the sun going up the brutal 4x4 road so I went alpine style. Started at half past midnight and was back at the car by noon after doing 2 self-arrests (one coming down Blanca Peak and one coming down Ellingwood Pt) on the same day.:rolleyes:

Congrats on the Little Bear - Blanca traverse especially! Didn't have the balls to try that.
 
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Congrats on the Little Bear - Blanca traverse especially! Didn't have the balls to try that.
yeah, that looks AWESOME. man, great TR and photos.. it'll take me awhile to get through it all since i have ADD, but so far, wow. thanks for sharing! sweet stuff! i'm headed to colorado labor day weekend and can't wait to get on that rock! hope to hit some class 5 peaks.

rock on. :D
 
What beautiful pictures and congrats on such a successful mission!

I just can't get enough of Colorado -- although I am content to skirt the edges of those lofty peaks -- the scenery just blows my mind -- from jagged uplifted knife edges to gentle walk - acrosses, Colorado really has it all.


Great trip, Craig!!!

PS San Luis Peak is my only 14er......:rolleyes:
 
It was kind of funny, someone placed an old pair a boots at the entrance to the mine with and empty can of spam in one boot as an “artifact”.

The first 20 or so feet from the entrance, the floor of the mine was covered in ice. I was slipping and sliding around on my trail runners and realized that a hasty retreat, if necessary, would be impossible. That’s when I decided to hightail it out of there.

Who knows what other “artifacts” might have been deeper down that mine.

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When I arrived at the Mt Lindsey TH there was a father and son (about 12yo) camped near by. They had been in the area for 3 days and were planning on climbing Lindsey the next day as was I.
They had spent quite a bit of that 3 days panning for gold in the same drainage that the mine was located in.
After that, every time I filtered water in a stream, I’d be looking real close at the bottom of the stream for that big honk’n nugget. :D
 
Awesome trip report and photos!! Hope to pick up some stragglers in the Sangres this week: Crestone Needle, Kit Carson and Lindsey. No traverses here though!
 
I am actually a gold panner, did they find anything?

He said he wasn’t having much luck. I didn’t get the impression that they were all hardcore about it though.
But who knows, he might have been playing down his luck to keep me from muscling in on his stake. :D
 
Great Weather!

Congratulations on getting some awesome Sangre de Christo Peaks!

I was in the same area last year (August 3 - 9, 2008). There wasn't one day that we didn't get caught in thunderstorms with rain, hail, etc. When we hiked into Lake Como, we didn't even get to see Blanca or Ellingwood Point. Our only summit was West Spanish Peak, which was very nice but not a 14'er :( The Spanish Peaks are a great acclimation hike and are visible from a large area around Walsenburg, CO which you may have driven through on the way to the Lake Como approach.

Some photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/bcborder/GreatSandDunesNP#

That said, even with great weather, the Little Bear, Blanca traverse looks pretty tough.
 
It's too bad you didn't have better weather. If you go back to climb Little Bear, check out the traverse.
It's both mentality and physically challenging, but very rewarding, if you're a ridge rat.

For all but 3 days while I was in CO, there was a weather pattern that created high winds but no afternoon thunder storms. This weather pattern allow me to have some long days but created some hairy moments up high with the gusting winds.
The day I packed into como lake the weather was sunny and hot right up till dusk. Once nightfall came and the temperature dropped the rock fall started. I was awakened several time throughout the night listening to the thunderous roar of a rock slide that was occurring all around me. Kinda cool, its like sleeping in an amphitheater, except for thinking I was going to be climbing that rock the next day. :eek:


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Stunning! Very interesting! Can't wait to go.

What are the animals in your pic "steep climbers trail", and what is AMS?

Thanks for posting and I really enjoy the beautiful pics.

happy trails :)
 
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